This invention relates to information systems and more specifically to a system and method for an interactive knowledgebase.
Information, especially technical information, is a vital ingredient to an organizations success. In small organizations informal personal networks are usually sufficient to disseminate and leverage information. In these smaller organizations an expert in one area is relatively easy to identify and consult. As organizations grow larger, informal personal networks fail to adequately address all of the members needs for information. While some members may have good information networks with good information leveraging, other members of the organization are left to reinvent what others have already done.
The rise of computers and especially the Internet and organizational Intranets have allowed some sharing of information over computer local area networks and wide area networks. However, organizational Intranet tend to have information structures which are dictated from above. Also, these Internets and Intranet are difficult to search, and are not amiable to users at all levels contributing information.
Discussion groups in these Intranet solutions also have drawbacks. To participate in these discussion groups a user has to be actively participating at the discussion group. This is inconvenient for many user who, while they would like to participate in a discussion, do not have the time to attach to the network, enter the discussion group and answer questions.
Accordingly, it may be appreciated that a need has arisen for an interactive knowledgebase system and method. In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an interactive knowledgebase is provided which substantially eliminates or reduces the disadvantages and problems associated with existing database structures.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an interactive knowledgebase is provided. The interactive knowledgebase comprises a client and a server. The client is operable to generate a request for a category of information. Each category has one or more informational items associated with the category. The client is further operable to transmit informational items and comments about informational items. The server is coupled to the client and includes an interactive database and an information page builder. The interactive database comprising a plurality of informational items with each informational item associated with one or more categories of information. The information page builder is operable to automatically construct an information page using informational items stored in the interactive database and based on the request for the category of information. The server is further operable to receive informational items from the client and store them in the interactive database. The server is further operable to associate informational items with received comments about informational items and store them in the interactive database.
In another embodiment, a system of maintaining a category discussion group in an interactive knowledgebase is provided. The system comprises a server, a first client and a second client. The server is coupled to an interactive knowledgebase. The first client computer is coupled to the server and has a web browser program and an electronic mail client program. The second client computer is coupled to the server and has an electronic mail client. The first client posts a question to the category discussion group in the interactive knowledgebase. The interactive knowledgebase updates the category discussion to include the question and sends an electronic mail message to the second client. The second client is operable to send a response to the question via the electronic mail client. The reply is then routed to the first client and the interactive knowledgebase. The interactive knowledgebase updates the category discussion with the reply.
The present invention provides various technical advantages over current database systems. For example, one technical advantage is the ability to index all information using a tree directory. Another technical advantage is the ability to display information in a web browser. Another technical advantage is allowing all users equal ability to add items to any category of the knowledgebase. Another technical advantage is allowing users to voluntarily designate themselves as subject matter experts and subject masters. Finally, yet another advantage is to build threaded discussion involving a category from electronic mail responses of users independent of the interactive knowledge base. Other technical advantages may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following FIGURES, descriptions and claims.